So, I realized a few weeks ago that this was written in January and never actually made it here and I tried to upload it, but fictionpress was messing up my documents and I couldn't upload/edit ANYTHING. So I am posting it now. Enjoy.

The sea, that vast expanse of nothing and everything, soothed her. She breathed in the unique aroma that had the ability to calm and excite her all at once. It was a strange feeling, but one that she reveled in as her hair was swept off her sweating body and into the air. Closing her eyes, she concentrated and realized that something was different this day. Though the wind was blowing, the smell was off. As opposed to the usual slight salt smell, the air was unusually floral. It smelled as if someone had sprayed a perfume, trying to mask the true beauty of the ocean.

Opening her eyes, she saw that she was not alone. Close to the water's edge sat a young girl next to a sand castle. From a distance, she could have sworn that the young girl seemed almost transparent. She could not hear any sounds other than the crashing of the waves against the shore, yet she felt as if she could hear the young girl crying. Curious as to whether or not she was correct, and why the girl was alone at the beach, she slowly walked toward the water, trying to seem vague but not succeeding.

Before she could manage to walk more than five feet, the girl turned around. She stopped, transfixed by the image that stared back at her. The young girl was merely a child, no more than 6 years old, and yet her eyes seemed to hold so much more than a child's should. She tried to open her mouth, but no sound came out. For the first time in her life, she was speechless.

"I know why you're here," the child said, her wind chime voice adding to the soundtrack of the beach.

Shaking her head to clear the sudden stupor, she replied, "You do?"

The girl simply nodded. "I know why everyone comes here." She waited for more to be said, but the child turned around and looked at the sea.

Captivated, she stepped forward again. "Why did I come here?" For an unknown reason, she wanted to hear the child's voice again. Now that she had heard it, the soundtrack seemed incomplete without it.

"You like it here." The answer was simple enough, yet it seemed to say so much more.

Cautiously, she walked over to the girl and sat on the other side of the sandcastle. Now that she was up close, she could truly see the girl. A young face, one that should be filled with laughter and joy, was instead filled with a sort of sorrow which only adults can know. Small scratches appeared in random places along her face and arms. A sundress, faded from exposure to the sun most likely, covered her shoulders down to her knees, tattered as it was. As her eyes followed the length of the small child, they caught hold of the sandcastle. It was small, obviously constructed by a child, and yet, there was an air of mystery to it, like a story lied just within the misshapen door that was waiting to be discovered.

"Do you like it here?" she asked the girl.

"I've always liked it here. The water is pretty."

She nodded. "The water is very pretty. Especially during sunset."

The girl nodded as well. "Mommy never liked sunset. She said it made her sad because it meant the day was ending."

"And what do you think?"

This seemed to confuse the girl. She furrowed her eyebrows and bit her lower lip like only a child can do. "I like the colors."

"Just the colors?" She wanted to know more about the young girl. She felt as though it was vital that she learn the girl's story, and her question had not yet been answered of why the girl was there alone. When the girl did not answer her after several long moments passed, she decided to try to different route. "Where is your mommy? Isn't she worried about you?"

"But I am safe," the little girl replied as she turned to face her. "No one can hurt me." Thrown by this answer, she was about to ask another question when the girl pointed behind her shoulder and smiled shyly. "The sun is pretty."

Taken aback by the sudden change in subject she stood up and turned around. Standing still for a few seconds, she admired the way the light shone down and reflected off the water, bathing the swaying palm trees in a light that made the scene picture perfect. She took a deep breath and turned, saying "It is incredibly pretty. But why-?" By the time she had fully turned around, the girl was nowhere in sight. Turning a full circle, she searched for any sign that the child had left, but there were no footprints in the sand, not even an indention in the sand where she had been sitting. Sighing and glancing down, she realized that the sandcastle was missing as well, seemingly never there to begin with.

Shaking her head, she figured that she must be imagining things and turned back toward the path she had come from. As she began to jog away in the last light of day, she heard a faint farewell in the voice of a wind chime.

I don't actually even know what this is about, or where it came from, or what genre it even is. I kinda guessed on that part. If I need to change it, please let me know. Anyways, drop a line!

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